Articles by Peter Van Buren
We found 9 results.
The Myth of Hiroshima
Peter Van Buren | HuffPost – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
16 Jun 2017 – The short version of the atomic myth, the one kneaded into public consciousness, is that the bombs were not dropped out of revenge or malice, immoral acts, but of grudging military necessity. As a result of this, the attacks have not provoked or generated deep introspection and national reflection. For President Obama to visit Hiroshima without reflecting on the why of that unfortunate loss of lives, acting as if they occurred via some natural disaster, is tragically consistent.
→ read full articleWhere Is America’s Response to the Middle East Refugee Crisis?
Peter Van Buren – Middle East Eye,
21 Sep 2015
The answer lies in empty rhetoric from those who began America’s wars in the region under the guise of humanitarian intervention.
→ read full articleThe Balance of Power in the Middle East Just Changed: U.S.-Iranian Relations Emerge from a 30-Year Cold War
Peter Van Buren - TomDispatch,
3 Aug 2015
The July accord acknowledges the real-world power map of the Middle East. It does not make Iran and the United States friends. It does, however, open the door for the two biggest regional players to talk to each other and develop the kinds of financial and trade ties that will make conflict more impractical.
→ read full articleDude, Where’s My Humvee? Iraq Losing Equipment to Islamic State at Staggering Rate
Peter Van Buren, Reuters – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jun 2015
4 Jun 2015 – Iraqi security forces lost 2,300 Humvee armored vehicles when Islamic State overran Mosul in June 2014. In addition , Iraqi forces previously abandoned significant types and numbers of heavy weapons to IS. The United States is effectively supplying IS with tools of war the militant group cannot otherwise hope to acquire from its patrons.
→ read full articleOnce Again, American Weapons-Makers Are Making a Killing in Iraq
Peter Van Buren – Mother Jones,
19 Jan 2015
Our battle with ISIS lacks goals and direction, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a profit to be made.
→ read full articleThis Land Isn’t Your Land, This Land Is Their Land – An Empire in Decline (City by City, Town by Town)
Peter Van Buren - TomDispatch,
5 May 2014
Once upon a time, I worked as a State Department officer, helping to carry out the occupation of Iraq, where Washington’s goal was regime change. It was there that, in a way, I had my first taste of the life of the 1%. I returned to America to find another sort of regime change underway, only I wasn’t among the 1% for this one.
→ read full articleDrone Killing the Fifth Amendment: How to Build a Post-Constitutional America One Death at a Time
Peter Van Buren – TomDispatch,
24 Feb 2014
The Divine Right of President Obama?
Terrorism (ter-ror-ism; see also terror) n. 1. When a foreign organization kills an American for political reasons.
Justice (jus-tice) n. 1. When the United States Government uses a drone to kill an American for political reasons.
You Can’t Opt Out: 10 NSA Myths Debunked
Peter Van Buren - TomDispatch,
13 Jan 2014
Pundits, columnists, and present as well as former officials offer bumper-sticker slogans like “If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear,” all the while claiming our freedom is in direct conflict with our security. It’s time to face these arguments directly. So here are ten myths about NSA surveillance that need debunking.
→ read full articleThe War Lovers: Why It Feels So Good to Be Embedded with the U.S. Military
Peter Van Buren - TomDispatch,
16 May 2011
Objective reporting on the SEAL team that killed bin Laden was as easy to find as a Prius at a Michele Bachmann rally. The media simply couldn’t help themselves. They couldn’t stop spooning out man-sized helpings of testosterone — the SEALs’ phallic weapons, their frat-house, haze-worthy training, their romance-novel bravado, their sweaty, heaving chests pressing against tight uniforms, muscles daring to break free… You get the point. Towel off and read on.
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